# clique
## English
### Etymology

Borrowed from French clique, ultimately of imitative origin. Influenced by "claque", though this may have happened in French rather than in English.

### Pronunciation

* (UK)
** IPA: /kliːk/
*** Audio (UK):(file)
*** Audio (UK):(file)
*** Rhymes: -iːk
* (US)
** IPA: /kliːk/
*** Audio (US):(file)
*** Rhymes: -iːk
** IPA: /ˈklɪk/
*** Homophones: click, klick
*** Audio (US):(file)
*** Rhymes: -ɪk

### Noun

clique (plural cliques)
* A small, exclusive group of individuals, usually according to lifestyle or social status; a cabal.
    This school used to be really friendly, but now everyone keeps to their own cliques.
** 1931, Dorothy L. Sayers, The Five Red Herrings:There had been talk of some disagreement about a picture, but in Sir Maxwell's experience, artists frequently disagreed about pictures, with no more consequences than a little cold-shouldering or the formation of a clique.
* (graph theory) A subgraph isomorphic to a complete graph.
    The problem of finding the largest clique in an arbitrary graph is NP-complete.
* (Internet) A group of related web sites that link to each other, like a webring but with exclusive membership determined by the clique owner.
** 1999, Jackie, “someone help me out?”, in alt.fan.leo-dicaprio (Usenet):Does anyone know what an internet clique is/does? I came across a few and am thoroughly confused.
** 2000, - deanna -, “ot: hiya”, in alt.fan.backstreet.boys (Usenet):even though we're not "regulars" anymore...*sniffle*...we still can't forget the NG...i always tell new fans about it...(people who join my clique, etc...)...and besides...i owe the NG a LOT...itz where i met my best friend...
** 2001, spee2k, “future no doubt website....”, in alt.music.no-doubt (Usenet):you always have to click some big section and you get a whole new set of options in a different frame, thats usually on the other side of the screen. when you're there, you can choose from (in a section site stuff or something like that) link me, link you, links, top 10 links, free for all links, cliques, and webrings.

#### Synonyms

* (small, exclusive group): coterie, inner circle, camp

#### Antonyms

* (antonym(s) of “graph theory”): independent set

#### Hypernyms

* (small, exclusive group): ingroup

#### Derived terms

* biclique
* cliquedom
* cliqueless
* cliquemate
* clique number
* cliquery
* clique tree
* clique width
* cliquey
* cliquish
* cliquish
* cliquism
* coclique
* hyperclique
* subclique

#### Related terms

* cliquey

#### Translations

    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

#### See also

* claque (another type of ingroup of people with biased interests)

### Verb

clique (third-person singular simple present cliques, present participle cliquing, simple past and past participle cliqued)
* (intransitive) To associate together in a clannish way; to act with others secretly to gain a desired end; to plot.

#### Usage notes

* Often used in the form clique together.

#### See also

* clique on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

## Dutch
### Etymology

Borrowing from French clique.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /klik/
* Audio:(file)
* Hyphenation: cli‧que
* Rhymes: -ik

### Noun

clique f (plural cliques)
* Alternative spelling of kliek (“clique, coterie”)
* (graph theory) clique, subgraph

## French
### Etymology

From Old French cliquer, of imitative origin.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /klik/
* Audio:(file)
* Homophones: clic, clics, cliquent, cliques
* Rhymes: -ik

### Noun

clique f (plural cliques)
* clique

#### Derived terms

* prendre ses cliques et ses claques

#### Descendants

* → Czech: klika
* → Dutch: clique
* → English: clique
* → Polish: klika
* → Portuguese: clique

### Verb

clique
* inflection of cliquer:
** first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
** second-person singular imperative

### Further reading

* “clique”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

## Portuguese
### Pronunciation

* (Brazil) IPA: /ˈkli.ki/
* (Brazil) IPA: /ˈkli.ki/
** (Southern Brazil) IPA: /ˈkli.ke/
* (Portugal) IPA: /ˈkli.kɨ/
* Hyphenation: cli‧que

### Etymology 1

Borrowed from French clique.

#### Noun

clique m (plural cliques)
* clique (small, exclusive group of people)

### Etymology 2

Borrowed from English click.

#### Noun

clique m (plural cliques)
* click (sharp sound)
* (phonetics) (click)
* click (the act of pressing a button)
* light-bulb moment
    Não estava a conseguir chegar ao resultado, mas subitamente deu-se-me um clique.I was failing to reach the result, but suddenly I got a light-bulb moment.

### Etymology 3
#### Verb

clique
* inflection of clicar:
** first/third-person singular present subjunctive
** third-person singular imperative

### References

* 1 2 “clique”, in Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2025
* 1 2 “clique”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2025

## Spanish
### Verb

clique
* inflection of clicar:
** first/third-person singular present subjunctive
** third-person singular imperative